I’ve given up on walking along the river Blyth, at least for a while. There are very few paths that follow the river beyond its lower reaches. Instead, to make it up towards the source, you need to follow paths that crisscross the river parallel to its flow. It all seems a little pointless but, then again, perhaps all walks are pointless. I guess it is up to me to decide when and if to go back. There are other rivers to follow.
Instead, I referred to the small book of walks that my wife had bought for me ‘Day Walks in Northumberland’. There are twenty in total and I did one with my friend Robert a few weeks ago. This time I decided to go solo, choosing a 14 km walk around Hulne Park, the Duke of Northumberland’s land just west of Alnwick Town.
I parked up just outside the main gate to Alnwick Castle and headed off through Bailiffgate to the entrance of the park. My political (and in my mind humane) values rail against how one man can hold sway over so much ground which is set aside, in the main, for pleasure. The preponderance of pheasants was testament to the Duke’s amusement and gratification, as there were far too many of them to be a natural occurrence. I have never understood the need of the upper echelons of English society to kill things.
My hackles were up, not helped by the regular signs reminding me that I was (privileged) to be on private land and that I couldn’t do this, do that or wander off the marked trails. I took a deep breath and set them aside, determined to enjoy my day out.
When I am out by myself I like to be by myself. Being accessible to the public meant, however, that there were others on the walk and so I started off rather enthusiastically to overtake a young couple and put some distance between us. My legs were burning too early into my jaunt.
Parts of the walk were more populated yet others gave me the solitude I desired. Turning off the main path I made the steepish climb to Brizlee Tower, a folly that Rapunzell would have been proud of. The views over England’s least populated county were magnificent and the tower gave ample opportunity to look down on the serfs below. They were well worth the lung-busting climb. From there I made my way back down the hill to the land I had just viewed from above.
Soon the path crossed the river Aln before turning right and making its way along the meandering waters. It also led to the ruins of Hulne Abbey, a place I didn’t know existed. It is another beautiful setting, spoiled only by the signs warning me that I could not picnic in the grounds. Everywhere were reminders of the Duke’s supremacy. Do not, do not, do not! I found myself singing Hawkwind’s ‘You shouldn’t do that.’
What is it about me and walking along rivers? The Aln is one I will attempt later on and I can count this day as part of that venture.
Back at the car, I reflected on the walk. Yes, I enjoyed it very much yet prefer to be away from the structured and controlled environment of a country park. Much better, for me, to be among the gentle glades beside a river or on the soft grasslands of open countryside. Still, it was great to be out in the open air, despite my lowly upbringing.